Yard maintenance tasks are commonly performed using various tools and/or machines that are configured for the performance of corresponding specific tasks. Certain tasks, like grass cutting, are typically performed by lawn mowers. Lawn mowers themselves may have many different configurations to support the needs and budgets of consumers. Walk-behind lawn mowers are typically compact, have comparatively small engines and are relatively inexpensive. Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, riding lawn mowers, such as lawn tractors, can be quite large. More recently, robotic mowers and/or remote controlled mowers have also become options for consumers to consider.
Lawn mowers are typically capable of transiting over even and uneven terrain to execute yard maintenance activities relating to mowing. However, most lawn mowers are repeatedly exposed to the same operating environments over the course of their lifetimes. For example, a lawn mower may operate to cut a single yard over its entire life, or may operate to cut a relatively fixed series of yards or parcels if it is used for commercial purposes. Given that computing devices are becoming more ubiquitous, it is to be expected that they may be employed to assist in operation of lawn mowers. As such, many additional functionalities may be provided or supported by the employment of computing devices on lawn mowers.
Robotic mowers or self propelled mowers are one example of devices that employ an onboard computing device to enable their function. Moreover, such mowers are capable of autonomous or self-guided operation under the control of such a computing device. To control its operation, a robotic mower may employ a plurality of sensors to detect various events such as a collision with an object, or detect when the mower has been lifted or tipped over. Detecting these events may be useful in controlling the application of drive and/or cutting power, or providing other control functions.
A typical robotic mower employs one or more sensors that are configured to detect collision, and one or more separate sensors that are configured to detect whether the mower has been lifted or tipped over. Thus, just by virtue of the fact that different sensors perform different functions, such mowers necessarily require multiple sensors. However, as an example, a typical sensor for detecting collision employs a hall-sensor or micro-switch that requires physical motion for activation. Such motion may be provided by enabling some degree of movement between body parts of the robotic mower when a collision is experienced. This movement may lead to a consumer experiencing or feeling body rattling when handling the body of the robotic mower and may lead the consumer to question the quality of the machine. Furthermore, these typical sensors are bipolar devices that either detect an event or not, but cannot provide information regarding magnitude or direction of the forces imparted thereon. Thus, for directional information to be provided, multiple sensors must be employed and must be distributed over different directional locations. For example, to detect motion in three sectors, three separate sensors may be required.